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Thread worms creating a big problem....Help please.

Hello everyone,

One of my relatives is very anxious about the health of her five years old son as he's suffering from thread worms for long. She takes good care of cleanliness and food habits of her child but may be the child is doing something unhealthy in school or his dance classes. She gives him pills prescribed by the doctor but the worms are back within one month. Her child is losing appetite and looks weak and pale. What preventive measures should she take to cure him permanently?

Threadworms are a common problem but they can be quite itchy and uncomfortable.

You need to follow a strict hygiene regime for 6 weeks in order to get rid of the thread worms and prevent them coming back. This includes:

- keeping toothbrushes in a closed cupboard and rinsing them before use
- not eating food in the bedrooms
- having a separate towel and flannel for each person in the house
- when threadworms are diagnosed, washing all bedding, night clothes, toys and soft toys
- vacuum and dust the whole house
- stop everyone in the family from biting their nails and keep everyone's nails short
- wear underwear at night-time
- wash your hands extra thoroughly after using the toilet

As your relative keeps suffering with threadworms in her family I would recommend following this hygiene routine strictly. If her child is still unwell then I would advise a further visit to the doctor.

Thanks for replying. I was never aware of this hygiene routine advised by you. My relative just gave medicines prescribed by the doctor and maintained normal cleanliness in house. Now, she has some excellent tips for getting rid of this problem from you. She is going to follow all and I hope her child is cured soon.

I'm so pleased this information has been useful. Yes - it is very important to follow this strict hygiene routine otherwise the threadworms will keep on coming back because their eggs will still be present in the house.

It sounds like the 5 year old is constantly being reinfected. I had pinworms as a child, more than once. For me, it was most likely because I didn't wash my hands enough (most children don't, especially when they are in school) and I was a nail biter.

As I got older, the infestations lessened I've probably only had them maybe twice in the past 30 years. As soon as I notice the itching, I will roll up the end of a tissue with a little water, and then use that to actually remove the worm or worms that are causing the itch. These worms that can be seen in the anal opening are adult worms which will appear in that area to lay their eggs.

For children, you can try to take a look with a flashlight at night, when the child is sleeping, and be prepared to remove the worm. I found that removing the worm I could see solved the problem. The worm didn't get to lay it's eggs, and once removed the problem went away. Medications can be helpful at killing the live worms in the intestinal tract - it's the eggs that are a problem after that because medication does not kill the eggs.

Changing underwear multiple times throughout the day may help, especially if the child is itching with his hands, throughout the day (the itch is so intense that children will definitely want to itch for relief).

Thanks Kate for the additional information. I don't think my friend has ever tried removing the worms herself but I will advice her to try that because she is really ready to do anything to get rid of the problem. I will also ask her to take extra care of cleanliness though I am sure she does. As you said not washing hands properly can be one reason for the return of the worms, I will tell her to teach her child how to be careful while washing hands in school and other places. Can she use a hand sanitizer for the child because I guess this will be easy for the child to pour out a little when he wants to eat something hen there is no water to wash hands. For example, the children do eat candies and biscuits in school taxi.

Yes, I know when there is no water and soap, it is better to use gel. Pumpkin seeds! Do they really help? I have been using them personally for other reasons but didn't know they are good in killing thread worms.